A rechargeable lithium-sulfur (Li—S) battery is of considerable interest due to a high theoretical specific capacity of sulfur of about 1675 mAh/g. Thus, the Li—S battery is a promising electrochemical system to replace current lithium-ion and nickel metal hydride batteries presently used in electrified vehicles. In addition, the active material, sulfur, is highly abundant, nontoxic, and relatively cheap which makes the Li—S battery even more attractive for energy storage applications. Yet, performance issues relating to the Li—S battery power density, cycle life, relatively poor reversibility and electrochemical stability have prevented a large scale use of the Li—S batteries.